Secret of the Bamboo Grove
by Isemay
Summary: "Kiku isn't the only child I found that day in the bamboo grove..." /A story of 2p!Japan told from 3 different characters
1. Prologue

_It is not impossible for a country to have two personifications- just look at the twin brothers of Italy. They aren't the only ones though. I should know. After all, I raised Kiku and Takeshi, though their story isn't quite as fortunate._

Kiku isn't the only child I found that day in the bamboo grove. There was a second. A bold, mischievous child who'd apparently gone off to find something for he and his brother to eat when I discovered Kiku. He talked all the way home, informing me that his name was Takeshi and Kiku was his twin brother, but he was most definitely the eldest, while Kiku walked at my side silently.

In some ways, they were polar opposites. Takeshi was adventurous, but often insensitive while Kiku was reserved and considered things from every perspective. Takeshi wore his expressions openly, going from cheerful to furious in the blink of an eye. Kiku hid everything behind a mask of impassiveness and refused to open up unless on his own accord. As I watched them grow up however, I noticed that there were certain things that both of them possessed. A steely determination and virtually unbendable pride. Despite their stark differences, there was a little bit of themselves in each other.

They were inseparable. Kiku followed Takeshi everywhere, hanging onto his every word with wide, sienna brown eyes. It didn't matter that Takeshi constantly mistreated him- scolding him for dropping his rice, yelling at him to stand up for himself, blaming him for endless reasons. He just wanted to be with his brother. At first I didn't take notice. I assumed it was a sibling thing and eventually Kiku would realize he needs to be his own person. But no matter how far he was pushed away, Kiku wouldn't abandon his brother.

_China~_

* * *

**A/N: **This was supposed to be a one-shot, but now it's a short story ┐(- ヮ -)┌

I chose the name Takeshi because I thought it was much more suitable than Kuro. (Kuro isn't a popular human name in Japan and plus...I just think it's odd to name someone 'black' xD) Takeshi means brave warrior if I remember correctly and I liked the sound of it ^^


	2. Scattered Memories- China

"Here, practice these characters. They each have different meanings and you can use them to communicate- like this." I carefully drew the strokes with the calligraphy brush so they could see. "Now you try. These are the most simple characters aru."

I gave them each a set of papers with a board to bear down on, a wooden brush tipped with goat hair, and black ink.

"Why do we have to do this?" Takeshi groaned, holding the paper and brush at arms length like it smelled bad.

"It'll be much easier to communicate if you have a written form of language aru." I told him with a patient smile.

The boy heaved an exaggerated sigh, but his twin dutifully sat down in the grass and dipped his brush in the ink. Reluctantly, Takeshi followed suit. Smiling at them fondly, I told them I'd check on them in a little bit and went back to the house to finish cooking.

I returned to find them both practicing the kanji characters with smooth, gentle strokes. Takeshi glanced up and grinned, holding up his papers for me to see.

"Look! I simplified it and made it easier to write! I'm gonna call it 'hiragana'!"

"Aiyah!" I exclaimed in disapproval. "You are ruining the traditional characters, Takeshi!"

The young boy pouted, then stuck his tongue out at me. "Whatever, my way is much easier."

I scolded him some more, but I saw Kiku trying to hide a smile out of the corner of my eye. Despite my exasperation with Takeshi, it was nice to see the quieter brother openly expressing himself for once.

* * *

"Yao-niichan!"

I sat back on my heels and wiped sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. Kiku and Takeshi were running towards me looking quite frantic. I winced as Takeshi trampled the budding green rice stalks I'd just planted.

"Kiku and I found a bird! I think its leg is injured," he panted when he reached me.

Kiku followed more carefully, but his eyes were wide with worry. My gaze fell on the brown and green feathered mass in his arms. He looked at me imploringly.

"Can we save him?"

Gently, I took the bird in my arms. I recognized it as a green pheasant- a fairly common bird that was a bit of a nuisance to my crop. It squawked meekly in protest and made a weak attempt to snap at my fingers. Its leg was indeed bent at an odd angle and I clucked pityingly .

"I think we can save him aru. Come, let's go to the house and I'll see what we can do."

After binding the leg and slowly nursing the pheasant back to health, it soon took a liking to the twins and began following them almost like a puppy. Kiku especially adored the bird and often carried it in his arms when it started getting tired and made a sort of nest so it could sleep by the fireplace. Takeshi claimed it was bothersome and got in the way, but I saw the way he would gently stroke the downy, flecked brown feathers on the pheasant's back when no one was looking. They had a bit of an argument when they decided to name the bird though. Kiku wanted to name it 'Niji' while Takeshi insisted they name it 'Ryu' saying that the former was a sissy name. Takeshi was forced to give in however when eventually the pheasant only responded to 'Niji'.

Despite our efforts, the lively green bird's health deteriorated as the cold settled in. Though I was very knowledgeable of natural medicines, that knowledge was mostly limited to humans and there wasn't much I could do for the pheasant. One frosty winter morning, I awoke to hear a soft cry from the living room. Hastily shuffling into my slippers, I padded out of my bedroom to find Kiku cradling Niji in his lap and Takeshi standing by him uncertainly. The pheasant, whose iridescent feathers had grown dull and disheveled over the past week, lay unmoving in Kiku's arms. I glanced at the fireplace where the logs had been reduced to gray ash and the coals had long since lost their fiery glow. Guilt tugged at my heart. I'd forgotten to stoke the fire before I went to bed last night. Niji, in his weak condition, must've died from the cold.

Takeshi crouched down next to his twin and lay his hand on his back hesitantly.

"It's just a bird, idiot," he said, but his tone was gentle as he said it. When Kiku only choked back a sob, he stared, perplexed, then wrapped his arms around his brother. "Don't cry, きっちゃん."

I felt my heart swell at Takeshi's rare show of open affection. I sat down beside them and enveloped them both in a hug.

"I think we should give him a proper burial aru," I said after awhile.

Takeshi looked up at me and I could see the glassiness of tears in his eyes. He sniffled a little, "I think so too." He shook his brother's shoulder a little. "ねきっちゃん?"

Kiku nodded wordlessly and quickly rubbed his eyes with the overlong sleeves of his kimono before standing up.

"We'll make the bestest grave for him," Takeshi vowed as we stepped out into the pale rays of dawn.

* * *

"Kiku? What're you doing in the garden again aru?" The boy, well he was nearly 15 now, had a fascination with my garden. It didn't grow as well as it did at his house, but that didn't seem to bother him. He was crouched by the pond, his gaze fixed pointedly on little minnows darting about in the murky water. I went over and bent down next to him. He finally looked up, his normally calm brown eyes stormy. He sniffed and looked away.

"Did something happen with Takeshi again?" I asked gently. Lately Takeshi had made a hobby of going off and squabbling with clan leaders and trying to take over their territory. I kept telling him that it was a foolish and brash thing to do, but he always laughed and shrugged it off. Whenever Kiku tried to stop him or go with him to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, his brother would lash out at him.

"No." Kiku's breathed hitched, but he glared at the water stubbornly.

"What happened this time?" I asked persistently.

He cast me an annoyed glare, but by now I was used to it. You had to when you were living with twin teenage boys. Then his shoulders slumped in resignation. " I wanted to go with Take-chan. I just didn't want him to get himself hurt. He's always coming home covered in blood and grime. Someone needs to take care of him. But he shoved me away and told me to go home."

I wasn't that surprised. Takeshi was always pushing Kiku away or calling him names, but it was the first time he'd refused to let him go with him. No matter what he said, I knew that the independent boy relied on his calm, steadfast twin. I sighed and laid a hand on Kiku's back gently.

"Let's go inside and make some supper. You made a very good meal last time aru. You can make that sushi again."

"I'd rather not."

"I'm sure Takeshi will be tired when he comes home," I coaxed.

Kiku wrinkled his nose. "I don't want to make food for the idiot."

I blinked, a little surprised at the rare display of emotion on his part, but perhaps his brother had rubbed off on him. "Well I could still use some help Yong Soo and Mei will be getting hungry soon aru."

After a moment's hesitation, Kiku nodded. While his twin felt a great sense of duty to his nation, Kiku was dutiful to his family- something I was proud of. "I suppose I will come and assist you then…"

Smiling, I stood and held out my hand. "Come on then, show me how you made that dish last time."

* * *

A burning fire seared across my back and I tried not to scream. I was on my hands and knees and my vision blurred as I tried not to blackout. Someone was calling my name frantically, shaking my shoulder.

"Yao! Yao, please! What've you done Take-chan?!"

"He was going to stop us from leaving, Kiku. I had no choice. Come, the ship's about to leave." Takeshi's voice had grown deeper and the velvety tone usually present was replaced by something cold and harsh as steel. I raised my head to look at the boy- no, man- who stood above me. His dark hair, tinged scarlet from time spent in the sun rippled in the night sea breeze and his wine red eyes were dark with a fury and dementia I'd rarely seen. His violet cape snapped in the wind and his silver katana slick with blood, my blood, glinted in the moonlight.

"I told you not to stop me, Yao," though his voice was steady, there was something malevolent in it that made me truly fear him for the first time.

"That's enough, Takeshi!" It was the first time I'd heard Kiku call his brother by his full name and it must've startled Takeshi out of his delirium because his brow furrowed in confusion momentarily. Then he scowled at his twin.

"Come," he commanded, turning abruptly on his heel and striding away on the beach shore. Not once did he look back. The hand on my shoulder squeezed gently before letting go completely. I turned my head to Kiku who was on his feet as well now, uncertainty and grief written in raw lines across his normally apathetic face.

He was leaving me too. Not him too. Takeshi's betrayal was already more than enough for me to bear. How had it come to this? I'd known for awhile that the two brothers had been restless to leave and constantly spent time away further and further from my home. Takeshi and Kiku had asked on multiple occasions for permission to become an independent nation. My stubbornness and jealousy had lead to fights that seemed to drag on longer each time. Now they were leaving for good. The sudden, restricting pain in my chest rivaled the white fire on my back. The world was spinning and the edge of my vision was beginning to blur.

"Kiku," I choked. I distantly heard voices calling my name from the direction of the house. Mei and Yong Soo were looking for me, but the thought hardly registered in my mind.

A couple of tears escaped as Kiku shook his head. He quickly dashed the heel of his hand across his eyes, erasing the glistening tracks. "I can't… Yao, I can't. I'm sorry." He whispered again, so softly I could barely hear him. "I'm so sorry."

Then, without a backward glance, he took off after his brother where a ship was waiting. I immediately hated that ship. I hated the sleek timbers and crimped, scarlet red sails now indigo in the night, and the flag of the rising sun, flapping in the wind from the crew's nest.

Then colored lights, a galaxy of pulsating stars crowded my vision. I dug my fingers into the coarse sand and fought to stay awake, but in the end I collapsed. Everything faded away until nothing remained but the pain, and even that was reduced to a distant, dull ache.

_China~_

* * *

**AN: **I meant for this to be lighter, but... didn't turn out that way I guess. I might add more to this chapter later and write some happier memories :) And sorry if Takeshi seems to change rather suddenly. When you have everything planned out/explained in your head, it's harder to write in a way that everyone knows what you're talking about xD

Couple of Notes...

- In case you didn't know, the Japanese alphabet hiragana (as well as katakana) are based off of Chines kanji characters ^^  
- The green pheasant is the national bird of Japan! I thought about using a crane instead of a pheasant, but I think a pheasant fits the story better.  
- 'Niji' means rainbow and 'Ryu' means dragon  
- きっちゃん = Kicchan. This is Takeshi' nickname for Kiku. I thought it sounded better than "Kiku-chan" or "Ki-chan"  
- "ねきっちゃん?" = "Right, Kicchan?" or along those lines :)


End file.
